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From Law to Grace » Entries tagged with "SBC"

SBC, GCB & the De Facto Name Change Charade

As Yogi Berra would say, “This is like deja vu all over again.” Or, as Ronald Reagan quipped to the second-worst President of the modern-era, Jimmy Carter, “There you go again.” At least that’s what came to mind as I began reading the 2012 Pre-Convention Special Issue of SBC Life that I received in the mail on Tuesday of this week. Published by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, this “communication piece” is distributed five times a year “to pastors, ministers of education, ministers of music, full-time denominational workers, chaplains, missionaries, and vocational evangelists of the Southern Baptist Convention.” This slick publication usually has several articles that I find particularly beneficial. I would say that it is a good use of Cooperative Program funds to publish this magazine, but … Read entire article »

Filed under: Christianity, Great Commission Resurgence, Religion, SBC Name Change, Southern Baptist Convention

Will the Black Church Rebuke Obama Over Gay Marriage?

That didn’t take long. After Vice President Biden on Sunday opened the floodgates, it was only a matter of time before President Obama publicly expressed what most political observers already knew: that he supports so-called same-sex marriage. Biden, in answering a question posed by Meet the Press’ David Gregory, proudly declared: “The president sets the policy.  I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties.  And quite frankly, I don’t see much of a distinction — beyond that.” If the Vice President, a practicing Roman Catholic, doesn’t “see much of a distinction” between traditional marriage and gay marriage, then he perhaps needs to take remedial catechism classes as well as … Read entire article »

Filed under: Christianity, Homosexual Agenda, Politics, Religion

Clergy Sex Abuse, Off-Limits Questions & Pink Elephants

In yet another bizarre turn of events at SBC Voices – a place for Southern Baptist News and Opinion — I have found myself in the strange position (I’m in good company) of not only having my own comments deleted, but also the comments of others based upon my original comment that got the ball rolling, as it were. The comments, which I’m so relieved were deemed not “sinful or evil or anything,” were nevertheless deleted because I asked questions that were apparently uncomfortable for some at Voices. So, “based on advice” (from who we do not know), the editor of Voices, Dave Miller, decided to delete multiple comments because “they took the discussion in a direction it does not need to go.” I thought I was offering discussion on a post … Read entire article »

Filed under: Christianity, Law, Religion

Mark Driscoll’s Mesmerizing Hold on LU & Evangelicalism

I don’t get it. More to the point, I don’t get him. Mark Driscoll, that is. I simply do not understand the Seattle pastor’s mesmerizing hold over large swaths of conservative Evangelicals, including many Southern Baptists, both young and old. In the last few years, Driscoll’s influence has continued to expand, both through the church he pastors, Mars Hill, and through the Reformed church planting network he founded, Acts 29. Driscoll also served as President of Acts 29 until he unexpectedly announced his resignation just nine days after a former Mars Hill elder, Paul Petry, and his wife, Jonna, went public with explosive and credible allegations of spiritual abuse at Mars Hill. Some might chalk that up to one big coincidence, but as one who believes in the sovereignty of God over all things, I don’t really … Read entire article »

Filed under: Calvinism, Christianity, Mark Driscoll, Religion, Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

LU, Mark Driscoll & New Media’s Bright Light!

The establishment just doesn’t get it. Or, maybe they do, and they just don’t want to publicly admit that they get it. Get what, you ask? The role that new media — Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, etc. — play in keeping the light shining brightly on those who would love to act in secret. It’s not that leaders like Mark Driscoll or those at “conservative” Liberty University want to avoid the spotlight. In fact, many celebrity pastors and well-known Christian leaders go out of their way to stay in the spotlight. But, when it comes to questioning their decisions or their judgment, it’s amazing how desperate some leaders become to avoid the sunshine of true openness and transparency. Many leaders, including those within the SBC, like to talk a good game when it comes to … Read entire article »

Filed under: Blogging, Christianity, Freedom of the Press, Mark Driscoll, Religion